There are many journalists whose work I read on a regular basis. NBC Sports’ Mike Florio’s Pro Football Talk was one of them.

Not anymore.

His post on LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne scoring a four on the Wonderlic test was written poorly. Tasteless. The comments that followed his article were even more sickening.

CBSSports.com National Columnist Greg Doyel is another journalist I read. In his latest column on Claiborne, he encapsulated everything I was thinking; pointing out that Claiborne has a learning disability and maybe – just maybe – it may have played a significant role in why his score was as low as it was. However, that was beside the point, Claiborne is a young man. He is human. I’m sure that Florio didn’t take those two scenarios into consideration.

The reason why I think I’m so enraged with Florio’s comments is because like Claiborne, I, too, suffer from a learning disability coupled with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). While Claiborne’s learning disability has to do with reading, mine deals with memory and the ability to process patterns, diagrams and pictures.

I can’t help but think back to my short stint at a local newspaper here in Syracuse. For me, as a working journalist, I relied heavily on my tape recorder. I couldn’t write and ask questions at the same time. I opted to work from home a lot because I couldn’t be on the phone and take down a person’s answers in the office. My tape recorder was my security blanket. At home I was able to call up the interviewee, push record and have a conversation.

I could do my job, but I had to work awfully hard at it than most editors in the newsroom. That in itself created more stress and anxiety.

Get where I’m going here? While my passion is still writing, I simply could not go on. I’ve learned to adapt and find a different alternative.

As Doyel points out, maybe he wasn’t a good test taker. My SAT and ACT scores were horrendous. I got into Gannon University by the skin of my teeth and with help of my former lacrosse coach. Does that mean I’m stupid? Absolutely not. To this day, I would rather write a 1,000 word essay than take a multiple choice test.

I envied those people at college that could glance through their notebooks one time and be ready for the test the following morning. Here I am, busting my ass, making
200-plus note cards and I only get an 80?! Such is life.

The “dumb jock” stigma is something that athletes will never get away from. It’s part of the sports culture. However, Florio fails to realize that being a student-athlete, no matter what division or sport, is a full-time job. Let’s look beyond the score, too, and see that he is a great young man. Why should the No. 4 define who he is as person?

While Florio may have gotten a brief rise out of the situation, Claiborne will ultimately get the last laugh ... to the bank.

In between prepping tonight’s dinner and picking up the apartment, I had the chance to watch Peyton Manning’s press conference in its entirety.

The word ‘comfortable’ rolled off his tongue almost seamlessly. After spending 14 years as an Indianapolis Colt, Manning was all of a sudden the NFL’s most high profiled free agent. The process itself was an out of body experience for Manning who had to prove to GMs, executives and higher-ups that he still was the precise, gun-slinging quarterback that head coaches feared on the field at Duke University last week.

Just like his attention-to-detail Sundays, there was no doubt Manning’s next career move would mirror his preparation tendencies.

There is a familiarity with the Broncos’ head coach John Fox, a common bond between a Hall of Fame quarterback in John Elway and a percolating interest in molding and tutoring young receivers like Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker. Yes, there are concerns, particularly at the tight end position and the secondary, but it’s not something that Manning can’t handle.

As he noted in the press conference this afternoon, Manning will not be involved in personnel and draft decisions. He has a relinquished role almost.

Many agree that San Francisco was the complete package: a team that ranked first overall in rushing, No. 7 in defense and offensive weapons in Frank Gore and Vernon Davis. The receiving corps also signed Randy Moss signed to a one-year deal last week while Mario Manningham inked a two-year deal late Saturday night. Getting Manning would have been the cherry on top of a colossal sundae.

But that wasn’t the case. Instead, Manning chose a comfortable challenge in the Broncos.

Standing at the podium, I couldn’t help but notice how at ease Manning seemed to be with the decision that he had just made.

“Do people know who this guy is?” I thought to myself as I chopped the salad ferociously. He is Peyton Manning. He will do just fine.

Proud Sister

In high school, you couldn't get my younger brother Vinnie and I to acknowledge each other let alone hold a conversation for more than five minutes.

Two years removed from college, Vinnie now a senior at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, N.Y., the dialogue comes a lot easier ... and more frequently.

Besides family, many didn't give him a chance to succeed. According to them, he was a trouble maker, someone who was set up for failure.

Don't get me wrong, Vinnie was no angel. He knew just the right buttons to push to make the teachers go nuts. My parents joke that he spent more time in detention than the classroom.

The stories have become commonplace when he finds his way home for the occasional home cooked meal or the routine laundry drop off.

The academic road for my brother started off at Onondaga Community College where he flourished as a student-athlete. He was named Academic All-American and capped off his sophomore season with a national championship. From there, he found his niche at Le Moyne College. He continued his collegiate lacrosse career and is studying to become a history teacher.

Go figure.

Sitting in Tim Hortons trying to finish this post, Vinnie's former high school lacrosse coach, Mr. Leuze walked in to grab a bite to eat. The conversation naturally shifted to him.

"Did he finally call you back?" I said.

"Yeah, I talked to him," Mr. Leuze said. "He finally cleared all those voicemails. Said they were all from Patti (our mother)."

"He sounded great on the phone. I'm glad everything worked out for him."

Last weekend, I found myself at Westhill High School helping out my friend, Beth, with her junior varsity lacrosse squad. I ran into Mr. Leuze and he informed me of another story involving my brother:

"I was up at the (Carrier) Dome when Le Moyne played Syracuse and Hofstra," he said, "Vinnie sat with me in his downtime and told me school was going good and lacrosse was great. Who would have thought?"

As his older sister I never doubted him. I always knew what he was capable of, it was just a matter of time.

I'm extremely proud of my brother.

Getting to know Christina Alexander

Via the Erie Reader

When I began writing for the Erie Reader about a month ago, my main goal was to try my best and feature Erie sports through an angle that could be perceived as different.

The truth is I can’t.

I would be lying if I told you that I knew every minute detail of the goings-ons in a city that I once called home for four years.

I am proud to say that I’m a Gannon University alum. I gush with pride about my former lacrosse team and occasionally find myself going back to catch a game or meet up with friends over a drink. As one can imagine, moving back home to Syracuse, N.Y., has strained my ability to be more hand’s on with the website and be in the trenches when it comes to covering athletics.

The truth is I’m not an actual journalist … yet.

In sports terms, I’m a rookie. Training is grueling at times and includes a lot of reading, writing and listening. Forget Gatorade, a medium double-double from Tim Horton’s is my choice of drink.

Reading: Believe it or not, Twitter has provided me with a wide range of reading material, forcing myself outside the ESPN box. (Don’t get me wrong, I continue to read Bill Simmons and Rick Reilly’s columns, I’ve just branched out a bit.)

A majority of the journalists I follow ‘tweet’ other journalists’ brilliant work. Link after link after link, the spread of information is incredible. Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch is a mastermind when it comes to giving praise to well-written articles.

I’m still a newbie to the Monday Morning Quarterback (MMQ) column by Sports Illustrated’s Peter King.

I’ve been a part of King’s reading audience for under a year now, and find it awe-inspiring the dedication and passion he has for writing and the National Football League.

One would think after being on a particular sports beat for so long that the drive would diminish. That isn’t the case with King.

For my Green Bay fix, I travel out to Wisconsin for 10 minutes each day and read Jason Wilde.

The two weeks leading up to the Super Bowl, my Facebook news feed was filled with rabid Steeler fans, claiming that their seventh Lombardi Trophy was on its way back to Pittsburgh. I even got a few jabs directed towards myself on my personal page.

I remained cool on the outside, just ignoring the comments. But on the inside, the nerves ate away at my stomach lining.

I’m still convinced I had some sort of ulcer. The reason I say that is because after the victory, the pain had magically vanished.

After the Packers won the Super Bowl, I leaned on Wilde to supply me with all the post-celebratory fixings.

When I want to mix it up a bit and head over to the controversial side, FOX’s Jason Whitlock does not disappoint.

Scattered on my bedroom floor are a couple of notebooks. Inside them, half-hearted sentences (the epitome of terrible grammar) outline thoughts that, at one point or another, swelled my cranium. Could-have-been blog posts are wasted. All because I was afraid to offend some player or team with my opinion. Yes, I had statistics to back it up, but I crumbled at the thought of being judged.

Read one of Whitlock’s articles, if that doesn’t give a person inspiration to not give a flying who-ha, I don’t know what does.

Those are just a few of my favorites. I could go on, but I’ll spare you.

Writing: Senior thesis: the final hurdle that stands in the way for a journalism-communications major. After a 45-plus minute presentation on sensational journalism, I had to sit in front of the firing squad, a three-person panel of my choice, and answer questions regarding my slideshow.

What came out of one of my professor’s mouth is something I carry as motivation with me every single day:

“I’ve read your stuff in The Gannon Knight,” he said. “It’s all right.”

The words stung me for a couple seconds -- like a bee sting -- then the pain subsided. I blinked, swallowed the lump in my throat, nodded my head and said, “OK.”

What was there to say? I was just served a heavy-duty dose of constructive criticism. If you can’t take the heat, you’re in the wrong profession.

Walking out of that lecture room, I never felt so motivated to throw myself into my writing. If that meant describing what I ate for lunch in the cafeteria, I was going to do it.

Side note: I knew very early in my college career that I wanted absolutely no part of being on camera or operating camera equipment. (Or it could have been those F-bombs I dropped ‘on-air’ in class, who knows). Public speaking was another thing that sent me into a full-flux anxiety attack. There is just something about some words on paper that soothes me.

Listening: Routine is common for me. I live and die by the planner and at times, I get flustered when things get screwy. Fortunately, for my mother’s sake, I’ve loosened up.

If I hear her “Chris, chill out, have a drink, will ya?” rant, I might just lose my marbles.

One thing that is a constant staple is my sports talk radio shows and podcasts.

Whether it is at work or working on my next article, I’m always digesting opinions, theories and statistics.

Those already in the field have the ability to watch games on multiple televisions and access to top-notch sources and researchers.

Many aspiring journalists don’t have that advantage. That’s why it is crucial to be well-rounded, listen to a variety of angles from experts, insiders and writers.

If I was to just limit myself to all things Syracuse, I would be doing a disservice to myself.

I know my introduction to the Erie Reader is only three articles too late, but I promise you one thing - I will write from the heart. I will share my opinions, thoughts, real life sports encounters with an audience just getting acquainted with me.

A Face-off with Colleen Dixon

Via the Erie Reader

My first run-in with Colleen Dixon came on the lacrosse field – Westhill High School (Syracuse, N.Y.) was getting ready to square off against Lafayette High School (Lafayette, N.Y.) in a rainy, Friday night playoff game.

As the warm-up clock began to wind down, both teams jogged their way to the sideline for stick checks. I decided to take a detour – the coaches’ clipboard. Carefully, I removed the plastic bag, making sure the light mist didn’t erase the night’s X’s and O’s.

The chicken scratch was impossible to read, but there was one name that stood out: Colleen Dixon, No. three.
What went through my mind of what I was going to do next still remains a mystery to me. I crossed midfield, into enemy territory, and proceeded towards Dixon.

“Are you Colleen?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m Christina Alexander,” I said. “I’m going to Gannon University next year.”

“Oh, OK.”

Now that’s what I call a great first introduction between future teammates.

“I just wanted to win!” Dixon later admitted in a text message.

Although Lafayette didn’t emerge triumphant that night, Dixon did notch six goals and showcased why she would be such a pivotal player for the Gannon University women’s lacrosse program.

In her senior year, Dixon joined the Star Riders – Central New York’s popular lacrosse traveling team.

“My coach (Dick Lighton) talked to (Gannon’s head coach) Steve Wagner about me,” Dixon said. “(Coach) Wagner watched me play in a few tournaments in the fall of my senior year.

“I’ll never forget the first time he called me. I was watching the first episode of LOST. I was so caught up in the fact that he was contacting me that I wasn’t really taking in everything he was saying.”

A small town girl was finally getting a chance to shine.

“I wasn’t really being recruited at all,” Dixon said. “At the time, I wasn’t on a club team so I wasn’t getting much exposure. I was looking at a few Division III schools. At one point, I thought about not even playing lacrosse in college.”

To get a feel of just how small Lafayette High School was, Dixon graduated eighth in her class out of 65.

Dixon would go on her official visit to Gannon and sign her letter of intent during the early signing period.

“Coming from Lafayette, Erie seemed like a big city,” she said. “It was everything I wanted in a school – city setting, good academic programs to choose from and a promising lacrosse program.”

Dixon was an impact player as soon as she stepped on the field as a freshman, contributing 25 goals, seven assists (32 total points), 26 ground balls, 29 draw controls and 22 caused turnovers.

In 2008, she was named to the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association – US All America second team and IWLCA All South Region first team.

During the 2009 campaign, Dixon was again named to the IWLCA All-America second team, IWLCA All-South Region first team and ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District II At-Large third team.

In four years, Dixon rounded out her collegiate career with 160 goals, 53 assists (213 total points), 129 ground balls, 126 draw controls and 73 caused turnovers. She ranks eighth in career goals, eleventh in career points and twelfth in career assists.

Aside from the accolades, there have been unforgettable memories along the way, including beating then No. 1 West Chester.

“After losing to them for two years and a third time my senior year by a score of 24-7, we finally did it,” Dixon said. “Every emotion built up for four years came out when we won that game.

“The game symbolized what Gannon lacrosse is, no one did it for themselves. We did it for each other and for who got us there.”

For many associated with the lacrosse program, the motto, “We didn’t do it for the individual glory, we did it because we loved each other,” resonates deep within the organization.

“Gannon lacrosse doesn’t strive to be good,” she said. “We strive to be great. And to be great meant that we had to make sacrifices and work harder than any other team.”

Sacrifices often meant passing on Friday night parties due to early Saturday morning practice, homecomings, and many other activities a regular college student would do.

Days off were usually spent in the training room trying to heal the bumps and bruises. The hot tub, cold tub, athletic tape, stim machines were a part of the daily repertoire.

Whatever time that was left in-between early morning practices, lifting, individuals and meetings were spent studying for quizzes, tests and homework.

After a brief one-year stint as a freshman coordinator at EA-Tri State in Erie, PA, Dixon itched to be on the lacrosse scene once again- this time as a coach.

After reading online about a coaching vacancy, Dixon submitted her resume and traveled to Ohio to interview for the women’s lacrosse head coaching position at Tiffin University.

On July 18, 2010, Dixon became the second head coach in Dragon’s lacrosse history after taking over for departing Mark Schreiber.

“If I could have my way,” Dixon said. “I would still be playing lacrosse at the college level. I really miss it, but I think this is why I went into coaching – I can’t give it up yet.

“I went from following the rules to making the rules, It’s a transition that definitely took a little bit to get used to.”

Like an artist staring at a blank canvas, Dixon envisions shaping, building and developing her team into contenders and a force to be reckoned with in the future.

“There is a lot of work to be done on and off the field,” Dixon said. “It’s just not going to happen overnight. It’s a great position to be in, but a lot of work.”

The former two-time captain hasn’t shied away from the Gannon values, morals and leadership qualities she possessed as a standout midfielder.

“(Gannon) has truly paved the way to where I am and is something I want to pass on to my team,” Dixon said. “The University taught me respect, discipline and the importance of academics- all of which I hope my girls gain through their time at Tiffin.”

Credit where credit is due

Via the Erie Reader

The San Antonio Spurs are quietly competing at a level that has many people, well, frankly, not talking about them.

The Spurs are atop the Western Conference Division and hold the best overall record in the National Basketball Association at 46-10.

But no one talks about it.

Many forget that head coach Gregg Popovich has guided his team to four NBA World Championships in 1999, 2003, 2005 and 2007. In 15 years at the helm of the San Antonio Spurs, Popovich has had only one losing season.

This year, the key to the Spurs’ success has been balance. Tim Duncan (13.4 ppg) no longer has to score 20-plus points a game for the team to win.

The scoring is shared between other starters, including Tony Parker (17.3 ppg), Manu Ginobili (17.9 ppg), Richard Jefferson (12.0 ppg) and DeJuan Blair (8.6 ppg).

In his second year, Blair has taken on the team’s persona, battling and banging under the boards each night. A second-round draft pick in 2009, Blair has become a carbon copy of the Spurs organization.

But no one talks about it.

Let’s face it; the Spurs are not your so-called glitz and glamour team like its NBA counterparts Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, New York Knicks or Chicago Bulls. It isn’t in its makeup. A small market team made of recognizable (not super star) names.

Attention grabbing headlines? Leave that to Denver’s Carmelo Anthony, Miami’s Big Three and the Clipper’s sensation Blake Griffin. The Lakers’ poor, inconsistent play is of more importance than a Spurs win over a top-tier team.

In a world of evolving technology and the 24-hour news cycle, fans want to be amused. Fans crave instant, up-to-the-minute sound bites, the drama and conflict.

The NBA is an entertainment league coupled with celebrity notoriety, mixed with gossip headlines.
(For those wondering, Khlomar just released their newest fragrance, Unbreakable, and Kim Kardashian has made Kris Humphries a household name).

The San Antonio Spurs have chosen not to go that route. Simplicity works for this team.

I think it’s time us sports fans need to give credit where credit is due: to the San Antonio Spurs.

O'Neil finds success on the field, and sidelines in lacrosse

Via the Erie Reader

Walking down the corridors of Westhill High School in Syracuse, N.Y., past the cafeteria and nurses’ office, Beth O’Neil was instantly inundated with flashbacks of what used to be the carefree days as a high school student-athlete.

“I loved high school, so going back brought back a lot of great memories,” O’Neil said. “But sitting down with (athletic director) Mr. Whipple and talking to him about me being an employee of the school was different.”

O’Neil, a former standout defender for Mercyhurst College’s women’s lacrosse team, was now appointed the newest addition of Westhill’s coaching staff – women’s junior varsity head lacrosse coach.

“It was kind of funny when I saw my old gym teacher and he asked what I was doing at the school and I said I was his new co-worker,” O’Neil said.

The college years:

For Mercyhurst’s sixth-year head coach Cecil Pilson, he saw something right away in O’Neil when he was recruiting her.

“I look for a player that has excellent stick skills, agile, excellent footwork, and is aggressive on the field,” Pilson said. “She had those qualities, as well as a great personality and she came from a great family.”

However, transitioning to the Division II collegiate level proved somewhat difficult for O’Neil and, at the time, 12 other incoming freshmen.

“It was pretty much a rebuilding year,” O’Neil said. “My first year was (coach) Pilson’s first recruiting year.”

Before the 2005 class arrived on campus, the upperclassmen that were already there before them faced an abrupt exit from its then head coach at the time.

“(Coach Pilson) recruited all these girls that were All-Americans or had tremendous talent and some of the seniors ended up sitting. I think that when we first got in there it was almost like a hostile environment for the first month, but as soon as we got to know each other, we immediately became great friends. I still talk to some of the girls that were seniors when I was a freshman.”

When it finally came time to taking over the reins, O’Neil was ready.

“(The seniors) taught us that they really wanted the program to succeed and make sure the program was developing.”

Hard work was evident as its record went from being under .500 to getting an at-large bid to the NCAA Division II Tournament in O’Neil’s senior season in 2009.

“We were more intense,” O’Neil said. “We were there to do some serious work and to make sure the program had a good reputation.”

In a game of speed, finesse and where offense is king, O’Neil quietly made a name for herself on defense. Her resume included some notable accolades: Mercyhurst College’s Defensive Most Valuable Player in 2007 and the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) second team All-Region selection in 2008. She rounded out her senior year in 2009 as a second-team All Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West selection.

Life in Washington, D.C.:

In July of 2009, O’Neil moved to Washington where she got a job as an intelligence analyst.

She made the trek to the Nation’s Capitol with former Mercyhurst teammate, Breanna Haggerty and friend, Carolyn Davis.

Besides the normal, mundane work schedule, O’Neil and Haggerty both wanted to get aboard the lacrosse coaching circuit and once again be involved with the sport they so passionately loved.

“(Haggerty’s) mom found something online about a travel team,” O’Neil said. “We sent an e-mail to this woman with our credentials and she automatically hired us because she was a graduate of Mercyhurst.”

They both coached together – O’Neil with the seventh grade team and Haggerty with the sixth grade team.

Because of the first opportunity that presented itself, O’Neil got word of another coaching job, inching her up the lacrosse ladder.

The woman that originally hired O’Neil and Haggerty the first time around sent out an e-mail to prospective people interested in the assistant varsity coaching position at T.C. Williams High School.
O’Neil worked alongside the head coach and together, found out they had something in common- defense.

“We got a long really well,” O’Neil said. “She went to Columbia, we were the same age and she played defense.”

O’Neil also found out that she could relate to the players in an area that was all too familiar her freshman year at Mercyhurst – rebuilding.

“It was a rebuilding year,” O’Neil said. “They had some really good talent that graduated. It took them a little while to get use to the way we coached. We had a lot of fun.”

Home sweet home:

The Syracuse, N.Y., native knew in advance that she would be heading back home to her roots. She immediately started to pursue coaching possibilities in the area.

After a few setbacks, including e-mail snafus and delayed responses, O’Neil interviewed for the Westhill junior varsity head coaching position and got it.

First line of business? Establish team defense.

“My goal is to try and teach them defense at a young age,” O’Neil said. “It will make them more marketable when it comes to going to college and playing. It’s really important.”

Come March, O’Neil will start another lacrosse chapter of her own, this time as a head coach. With her collegiate playing days behind her, she is ready to make her mark and give back the knowledge she gained as a player to future student-athletes of the game.

“Going back to your alma mater is always more rewarding,” O’Neil said. “I’m excited."